from the Washington Post: Brandon Singleton was 8 when he first saw the movie “Clueless,” and it changed his life. He was entranced by the paradise of teenage consumption that the 1995 film portrayed, a Hollywood world of valet parking and designer duds. So when he entered Suitland High School in Prince George’s County four […]

from the Chicago Tribune: President Bush today chose Carlos Gutierrez, a native of Cuba who rose from truck driver to chief executive officer of Kellogg Co., to be Secretary of Commerce. “Carlos’s family came to America from Cuba when he was a boy,” Bush said in the Roosevelt Room. “He learned English from a bellhop […]

The Guardian and Johnnie Moore have brought our attention to a unique, and complicated, new method to bring harm to corporations with questionable human rights and environmental records. from The Guardian: An anti-capitalist former stockbroker and the son of Sir James Goldsmith have launched an audacious attempt to halve the value of Coca-Cola’s shares. The […]

We reported earlier in this space that The Bad Ass Coffee Company was being given a hard time in puritanical Antioch, Il. Chicagoist and The Trib now report that the franchisee has withdrawn his lease after the Antioch Village Board passed a resolution 5-1 that read in part: “The shop’s name is found to be […]

from USA TODAY: Billionaires Bill and Nancy Laurie angered University of Missouri fans, students and alumni by naming the new sports arena on campus after their daughter Paige, who did not attend Mizzou. The couple were given the naming rights after donating $25 million toward the $75 million athletic complex. Nancy Laurie is the daughter […]

British marketing consultant, James Cherkoff, has written an eloquent piece for companies trying to figure out this whole blog thing. here are some excerpts: “Imagine a room with tens of thousands of your customers talking about your company and your products. Share

New York Daily News reports that German supermodel, Heidi Klum is McDonald’s newest celebrity spokesperson. Klum joins Justin Timberlake and Beyonce as corporate mouthpieces for the fast-food giant. Klum is also the spokeswoman for Target stores and Birkenstock shoes. “Heidi is the best partner. She’s a young mother and represents modern lifestyle,” said McDonald’s spokesman […]

Prominent blogger, Jeremy Wright, is auctioning himself on eBay. The move is designed to raise the profile of blogging as well as to provide companies with an industry expert to guide them. “Blogging gives your customers a real view into your company in ways that newsletters and seminars simply aren’t able to do.” says Jeremy […]

from The New York Times: During the summer, before the premiere of “Desperate Housewives,” the marketing executives for ABC Entertainment and their media planning agency, OMD, part of the Omnicom Group, came up with a list of unconventional promotions meant to help the series, a darkly comic nighttime soap, stand out amid the clutter of […]

“Candidly, our advertising has not been as consistently effective as it needs to be.” -Chuck Fruit, Coca-Cola’s Chief Marketing Officer Coca-Cola issued a manifesto for change earlier this month. Admitting that they have under-invested in some of their core brands, the soft drink giant is prepared to spend an additional $400 million on advertising in […]